BBQ

To cook or not to cook

To cook or not to cook – outdoor entertaining and cooking a feast

More often than not we are asked to consider installing a BBQ within our designs. Let me just take 5 minutes of your time and apply a thought to BBQ’s, their look “I’m the BBQ’, their use and placement.

Sure, fundamentally the BBQ is there to create amazing meals for all to share but I think they actually give far more than that if we are allowed to think about it.

I have this stereo typical vision of a member of family being given a plate of meat and going outside to cook up and stand out there thinking about life and how long until I turn it.

Sure, this is part of barbequing experience, but I think there is so much more to it.

My vision is to not only BBQ but at the same time attract people to be around you for a share, chat, sit and enjoy the company of all.

So, think about your BBQ giving you all of the below

The ability to cook up a variety of food types

The ability to use the flat surface as an area other than hot foods but for cold foods

The ability for your family and friends to literally sit at the BBQ sharing the experience – think of having bar stools placed on the other side of the BBQ

The ability to stop the chef having their back to you but be able to look at you while cooking – it’s all about placement of the BBQ

The ability for the unit to double up as a bar supporting ice coolers, cutting boards, sinks, fridges etc

The assurance that the investment is sustainable and an asset to your home

So how can this in principal be achieved:

Be realistic about your budget

Are you reliant on bottle gas or in line gas etc.

What do you like cooking. A client of ours enjoys cooking with the wok so the BBQ had to have within its body a wok burner that when not in use is covered giving more usable flat space

Design the BBQ at the same time when you are designing your outdoor room

Design the BBQ unit tailored to suit the requirements

Know what is on the market and the markets flexibility

Consider the visual aspect of the BBQ and it being a piece of furniture not ‘Oh there’s the BBQ’

Design the unit so it is not a stereo typical box but a unit with open space under making it look like it is partially floating

Design to support the materials used for the structure of the BBQ

Stone, the same as your patio/path areas but of polished finish

Polished concrete and the many ways you can mould this and bring a very real touchy-feely aspect to the finish by using imagination

Having designed and built be-spoke BBQ’s for many of my clients it is always a wonderful buzz to be invited to join the family for a cook up and see how the area is now a true entertaining area